What Attracts More - Selling or Helping?
What Attracts More - Selling or Helping?
approach, and they have significant implications. Professionals help rather than sell. They have clients
instead of customers/policyholders. They build relationships instead of conducting transactions. They
offer solutions instead of sales. They attract clients instead of pursuing customers. People buy from
them instead in being sold. They find cooperative opportunities instead of competitive obstacles. Think
of the implications from these distinctions. We’ve always heard that people do business with people
they like, and people like people who help. You’ve heard the term “trusted advisor”? This is what we’re
talking about. It occurs when you shift from selling to helping. Imagine having clients who are eager to
refer others to you.
When you adopt the attitude of a professional and take the focus off the products, guess who the focus
falls on? You! You become the service that clients buy. You become valuable. You become a resource.
You become an expert. Clients don’t look to insurance policies for answers, they look to you! One of
the greatest challenges in arriving at this mindset is becoming clear as to what makes you unique so you
can communicate it effectively to your prospects and clients. I often work with my clients on clarifying
their purpose and identifying their unique strengths so that their marketing and leadership is effective.
An interesting challenge we face is that we tend to downplay our strengths, especially if they come
easily to us. We tend to take them for granted and we tend to assume that everyone has the same (or
better) abilities. A very revealing exercise I often ask clients to do is to ask five people they know for five
traits that make them excellent at what they do. (My suggestion is to ask people who aren’t family. Ask
clients, friends, and associates.) You may be surprised at the results. I find that the responses fall into
three categories. 1) You’ll hear things about you that you and everyone else already knew and will
thereby get confirmation, 2) You’ll hear things that you already knew but didn’t think anyone else
noticed, giving you new insights as to what people notice and value, and 3) You’ll hear things that you
never knew about yourself; things that never occurred to you to be a trait that others would value.
These traits and insights are the things that set you apart from all the others out there. These are the
things that cause people to do business with you. These unique traits will help you be more effective as
you contact new prospects, present your ideas, and generate referrals.
I find that when people aren’t clear about what sets them apart and aren’t clear about their purpose
(Inotherwords, why they do what they do) they end up leading with their products and their company.
They rely on the strength and credibility of others instead of leading with themselves. The goal of every
professional should be to become credible in their own right. That doesn’t necessarily becoming the
foremost expert in their field, but it does mean becoming excellent at what they do as a professional –
helping others. It means finding new ways to help. It may even mean helping in ways other than with
insurance. You can become a resource for information or a networking source of contacts within your
community. You can offer advice in other areas of business or life (other professionals are more than
happy to provide you with article and insights you can pass on).
The whole point of this is to stop selling insurance and start helping people. It’s been said that people
don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, and it’s true. The interesting
consequence is that when you take your focus off of selling and place it on helping, you’ll attract more
clients, generate more referrals, and sell more insurance. Life is good…
What Attracts More Selling or Helping - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Beck's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
There are many distinctions related to taking a professional, helping approach over a selling
approach, and they have significant implications. Professionals help rather than sell. They have clients
instead of customers/policyholders. They build relationships instead of conducting transactions. They
offer solutions instead of sales. They attract clients instead of pursuing customers. People buy from
them instead in being sold. They find cooperative opportunities instead of competitive obstacles. Think
of the implications from these distinctions. We’ve always heard that people do business with people
they like, and people like people who help. You’ve heard the term “trusted advisor”? This is what we’re
talking about. It occurs when you shift from selling to helping. Imagine having clients who are eager to
refer others to you.
When you adopt the attitude of a professional and take the focus off the products, guess who the focus
falls on? You! You become the service that clients buy. You become valuable. You become a resource.
You become an expert. Clients don’t look to insurance policies for answers, they look to you! One of
the greatest challenges in arriving at this mindset is becoming clear as to what makes you unique so you
can communicate it effectively to your prospects and clients. I often work with my clients on clarifying
their purpose and identifying their unique strengths so that their marketing and leadership is effective.
An interesting challenge we face is that we tend to downplay our strengths, especially if they come
easily to us. We tend to take them for granted and we tend to assume that everyone has the same (or
better) abilities. A very revealing exercise I often ask clients to do is to ask five people they know for five
traits that make them excellent at what they do. (My suggestion is to ask people who aren’t family. Ask
clients, friends, and associates.) You may be surprised at the results. I find that the responses fall into
three categories. 1) You’ll hear things about you that you and everyone else already knew and will
thereby get confirmation, 2) You’ll hear things that you already knew but didn’t think anyone else
noticed, giving you new insights as to what people notice and value, and 3) You’ll hear things that you
never knew about yourself; things that never occurred to you to be a trait that others would value.
These traits and insights are the things that set you apart from all the others out there. These are the
things that cause people to do business with you. These unique traits will help you be more effective as
you contact new prospects, present your ideas, and generate referrals.
I find that when people aren’t clear about what sets them apart and aren’t clear about their purpose
(Inotherwords, why they do what they do) they end up leading with their products and their company.
They rely on the strength and credibility of others instead of leading with themselves. The goal of every
professional should be to become credible in their own right. That doesn’t necessarily becoming the
foremost expert in their field, but it does mean becoming excellent at what they do as a professional –
helping others. It means finding new ways to help. It may even mean helping in ways other than with
insurance. You can become a resource for information or a networking source of contacts within your
community. You can offer advice in other areas of business or life (other professionals are more than
happy to provide you with article and insights you can pass on).
The whole point of this is to stop selling insurance and start helping people. It’s been said that people
don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, and it’s true. The interesting
consequence is that when you take your focus off of selling and place it on helping, you’ll attract more
clients, generate more referrals, and sell more insurance. Life is good…
What Attracts More Selling or Helping - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Beck's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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